The Buzz – Monthly Wine Dinner

09 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

I just loved this evening sunset sky in Boise as I was leaving the Buzz after a wonderful Monthly Wine Club Dinner – Magazines. Cristi did a great job in explaining to everyone the magazines that are available about wines and also on the rating systems.
She did a blind tasting tonight, a change from her normal format. I liked it. Here is the dinner we had and the wines that Cristi paired with the food. Remember: The scoring is based on 100 points. Enjoy! And the dinner that accompanied the tasting was perfectly matched with the wines and well prepared. We just keep coming back to the Buzz. Here is more information –

Opening Wines
These two wines, from South Africa, were really very good. Of the two, I preferred the Chenin Blanc, but the Cab was still good. Using the 100 point scoring, I rated both of these at 92.

Appetizer
Asparagus Pesto Brochette

2009 Pinot Grigio
13.0% alc, crisp and clear, lemon [92]

Soup
Wild Mushroom Ragout
(An awesome soup!)

2008 Red Blend
14.1% alc., deep red, big and bold. Great with the soup [95]

Roasted Vegetable Salad
(Super good salad!)

2008 Pillar Box Red Blend (Australia)
14.5% alc., cinnamon, roast beef. well balanced [97]

Lemon Herb Chicken
Brown Rice Mixture
Broccoli
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

2010 White Knight Viognier
13.9% alc., light color almost white, good with the cucumber and broccoli and the herbs on the chicken [95]

Pear/Pecan Flop Cake

2008 Dugagutti
13.9% alc., red and tan, chocolate and plum. great with the cake [98]

Joe’s Road House Port
deep chocolate color. wonderfully smooth
(Thanks Joe for sharing!)

Inquiring Minds Need To Know!

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Special Dinners, Special Information, Spice Blends

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You will be surprised at some of these food items. How they are grown and how they are produced. Take a look at 8 of the Worlds Most Expensive Ingredients. Have fun. Which would you like to try? I think this melon, a Yubari King Melon, with a good cup of the coffee. Take a look. Here is some info on this melon. “The choicest melon pairs have been auctioned in Japan for as much as $26,000, but a standard Yubari melon costs between $50 and $100 in Japanese department stores.” The coffee, on the other hand, “Kopi luwak, or civet coffee, is coffee that has passed through the digestive system of a nocturnal catlike animal called a civet. . . Kopi luwak retails for as much as $500 per pound, or about $1 per gram.” Goot Essen!

BBQ Chicken Sandwich and Grilled Potato Wedges

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chicken, Grillin' and Chillin', Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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And Buddy says, “What’s for dinner?”, as he lifts his head from the front door where he has been all day waiting for Robin to drive up. Well let’s see what I can come up with. How about this –

BBQ Grilled Chicken Sandwich
with
spinach, onion, tomato, BBQ sauce

Grilled Kansas City Potato Wedges

Maybe a beer or two

And is that a Pabst Blue Ribbon and a Mickey in the background? Two of seventy from the birthday stash. I think Robin and Marnie had Fritos and I don’t know what else for dinner. I like Fritos. But this is so much better. Tomorrow it’s the Buzz for the Wine Club Dinner – get your reservation and I’ll see you there. Then there is the Food Truck Rally on Friday – previous post – and Saturday is so jammed! Taste208, both the media function and the public function; Shawn Carman’s Graduation Party; the Buzz is having a Parking Lot Party; Garry Scholtz is having an open house in Meridian. I think this is a conspiracy from Robin to keep me busy and not lonesome. I’ll take 2 BP pills and all will be soooooooo fine. Cheers!

May Boise Food Truck Rally

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Here is the information for the May, Boise Food Truck Rally. Hope to see you there!

Food Truck Rally

Next Rally is this Friday! May 11th 5-9pm at 4th and Grove [in Boise]

Trucks in alphabetical order:
A Cupcake Paradise
Archie’s Place
b29 Streatery
Basilio’s
Big Daddy’s BBQ
Brown Shuga
Calle 75
Riceworks
St. Lawrence Gridiron
Tiki’s Shave Ice

Beer by Payette Brewing
Wine by Indian Creek Winery

06 Sunday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cinco de Mayo, Hard To Find Foods, Local Markets, Locavore, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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It’s been an interesting eating day. And super moon day. And Kentucky Derby day. Here is what we had for dinner tonight. Wild Rice Salad, Fruit Bread and Fiddlehead Ferns with Ramps, Asparagus and Mushrooms. All from the Boise Saturday Market. Well …. Mostly – The bread was not. Wonderful!!

Did you see this Super Moon?

Robin’s Tortilla Soup

05 Saturday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Cinco de Mayo, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Soup, What's For Dinner?

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Robin’s Tortilla Soup

OK. So here’s the scoop. Today was the “Running of the Roses”, the Kentucky Derby and we lost. It has been rather chilly here today with temps around 54 degrees and the wind chill at 47. Then tonight they say that we are getting down to 28 – 32 degrees with a frost warning. (I’ve known snow on the tulips at Mother’s Day, but the tulips are over this year!)
In other words, it’s cold here. So, Robin made this really great Tortilla Soup. Rich and spicy and great! It hit the spot during the derby. We had Mexican beer and not Mint Juleps. After all, it is Cinco de Mayo! Enjoy looking at the soup. There’s none left. Oh yes. There will be a very large full moon tonight to photograph. Hope the skies clear off. Moonrise is 8:54pm here in Boise. Cheers!

Cinco de Mayo BBQ Turkey Quesadillo and Papaya Salsa

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cinco de Mayo, Ethnic Foods, Mexican Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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BBQ Turkey Quesadillo and Papaya Salsa

Papaya Salsa

Source: Robin Young

Ingredients:
1 Papaya, seeded, scooped and cut
1 inch Cucumber chopped
1 T Red Onion, chopped
1 Radish, chopped
2 T Cilantro, chopped
Juice of ½ lime
1 t Jalepeno, chopped

Directions:
Mix all together and set aside to marry flavors.

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Barbecued Turkey Quesadilla

by Sheila Lukins
Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas (7 1/2-inch diameter)
4 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese
8 ounces (1 cup) shredded cooked turkey
1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
4 scallions (3 inches of green left on), thinly sliced
12 to 14 fresh spinach leaves (stems discarded)
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Place 4 tortillas on a work surface; sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Combine the turkey and barbecue sauce in a small bowl. Scatter the mixture evenly over the cheese, along with the parsley and scallions.

2. Lay spinach leaves flat over entire surface to cover. Sprinkle with cheddar. Place a second tortilla over each, creating a sandwich; press down on the ingredients.

3. Heat a dry, nonstick skillet over medium heat until very hot. Using a large spatula, place a quesadilla in the skillet and cook, pressing down with the spatula and turning once, until the cheese melts and the tortillas brown slightly, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a low oven (250°F) to keep warm. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.

4. To serve, cut each quesadilla into quarters and serve hot. Serve with a bowl of whole cranberry sauce or prepared salsa alongside.

Serves 4. Per serving: 575 calories, 24g fat, 98mg cholesterol.

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This was a delicious lunch and somewhat easy to prepare. And the salsa that Robin came up with is really great. I love the lingering taste of papaya. Left-Click the photo to see full screen. Cheers and Enjoy!!

Le Cafe de Paris Tapas Night

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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After going to the DotDotDot program, BSU Graphic Artists present their Senior work, we drifted down to Le Cafe de Paris and had an awesome Tapas night dinner. Congratulations to our friend Shawn Carman for a successful showing. You are one talented young man. Both events were in the Adelmann building pictured here.And now, our dinner in pictures. Enjoy the photos. We enjoyed the dinner!

Choripan Bites
chorizo, sweet pepper and onion, chimichurri bruschetta

Vegetable Gratin
tomato, zucchini, red bell pepper, gruyere, parmesan, cream

Springtime Hearts of Palm Salad
(Ensalada de Palmitos de Primavera)
lettuce, boiled egg, hearts of palm, tomato, pickled beet, dijon vinaigrette

Ancho Rubbed Tri Tip
fire-roasted tomato salsa, medium rare tri tip

Argentine Mussel Soup
green-lipped mussels, saffron, lemon juice, vegetable stock, rice

Calamari

Seafood and Sausage Paella
andouille sausage, crayfish and saffron rice

Dulce de Leche Pionono
sponge cake roulade, dulce de leche creme filling, caramel icing

Bacon and Egg Muffin Cups

03 Thursday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Breakfast, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Here is a recipe that you can make in about 20 minutes and feed a host – many – people. Really easy to do. I got the recipe from one of the many food/recipe blogs that I subscribe to. In this case, Secret Recipe Club. It’s free to join. Enjoy this breakfast! The first photo is when I took them out of the oven. The second, the cups are plated.

Bacon and Egg Muffin Cups

Bacon and Egg Muffin Cups {SRC}

Source: Secret Recipe Club –
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 Breakfast Cups

Note: These are so very easy to make and you can feed a crowd fairly easy. And yes, they are good!

Ingredients:
4 slices of bread
8 eggs
8 slices of bacon
shredded cheese

Bacon and Egg Muffin Cups plated

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, cook the bacon and only allow it to cook for about 4-5 minutes. You are looking for flexible but not raw. While the bacon is cooking, cut two circles out of each slice of bread. I used a circle cookie cutter to make it easier.
Now take that extra bread and either save it for french toast casserole or go tear it apart and feed it to the birds {what we did}.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Next, lay a circle of bread into the bottom of each muffin cup. Wrap the bacon around the edge of each muffin cup. (I did this part backwards – we did the cheese before the bacon – it made absolutely no difference) Sprinkle cheese on top of the bread slices.

Now carefully, crack an egg into each cup. Megan suggested cracking the egg carefully into a bowl first and then sliding it into the muffin cup. I just did it right into the pan.
Bake them for 10-15 minutes or until the whites have set and the yolk is cooked to your liking (less for a runny yolk, more for a cooked yolk)

Serve with pancakes and fresh fruit – well, we did. And by the way, you cannot eat just one. I don’t care what anyone says, you can’t. It’s impossible.

If you want the original recipe, Click Here. You can see more bacon recipes at Food On Friday. Enjoy!

City Market – Boise Saturday Market #2

28 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Buy Idaho, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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It’s 9:30! Ring the bell. And she did and the second week of the Saturday market was opened! I talked for a short while with Garrett Goldberg, Square Companies, a wine storage company, and he said the Guy was supposed to be coming to the Market. Guy Hand from NPR. I told him I know Guy and to tell him he is late and that I had already been here and gotten some great photos. Here are just some of the vegies that are available. The new header photo was taken at the Market just this morning. I also get our eggs here from Meadow Lark Farms, Janie Burns. Great source for local eggs, lamb and chicken. Cheers!